Escutcheon plate

ABSTRACT

AN ESCUTCHEON PLATE FOR USE WITH PLUMBING FIXTURES IS MOLDED IN ONE-PIECE OF SYNTHETIC PLASTIC MATERIAL. THE PLARE HAS A CENTRAL CIRCULAR HOLE THROUGH WHICH A PIPE OR THE LIKE IS RECEIVED. A PLURALITY OF RESILIENT FINGERS PROJECT REARWARDLY FROM THE PLATE ADJACENT THE HOLE. THE FINGERS INCLUDE GRIPPING PORTIONS PROJECTING RADIALLY INWARD AND LYING ON THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF A CIRCLE HAVING A SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE HOLE.

Oct. 26, 1971 s. E. TOTH 356155108 ESCUTCHEON PLATE Filed March 24, 1969v 5 shb is sheet 1 2o INVENTOR.

STEPHEN E. TOTH AT TORNEYS.

S. E. TOTH ESCUTCHEON PLATE Oct. 26, 1971 3 Shoots-Shoot 2 Filed March24, 1969 ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,615,108 ESCUTCHEON PLATE Stephen E. Toth,Brooklyn Heights Village, Ohio, assignor to Sajar Plastics Inc,Middlefield, Ohio Filed Mar. 24, 1969, Ser. No. 809,551 Int. Cl. F16]5/00 U.S. Cl. 285-46 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An escutcheonplate for use with plumbing fixtures is molded in one-piece of syntheticplastic material. The plate has a central circular hole through which apipe or the like is received. A plurality of resilient fingers projectrearwardly from the plate adjacent the hole. The fingers includegripping portions projecting radially inward and lying on thecircumference of a circle having a smaller diameter than the diameter ofthe hole.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This application pertains to the art ofescutcheon plates and more particularly to escutcheon plates for usewith plumbing fixtures. The invention is particularly applicable toescutcheon plates for covering a hole in a wall through which plumbingpipes extend, and will be described with particular reference thereto,although it will be appreciated that the invention may be used inenvironments other than plumbing.

In installing plumbing fixtures such as toilets, wash basins andbathtubs, Water supply pipes and drain pipes extend through holes in awall or floor. Such holes in a wall or floor are commonly larger thanthe pipes which extend therethrough and also are somewhat jagged so asto present a poor appearance. Therefore, it is conventional to place anescutcheon plate over such pipes to cover the holes in the wall or floorand thereby improve the appearance of the plumbing installation. In thepast, many different types of escutcheon plates have been used. Oneprior type included two C-shaped segments pivoted together at one end.In this type of plate, the presence of a pivot pin and two joints wherethe segments fitted together created a somewhat poor appearance and alsooffered cracks in which dirt would eventually become lodged and furtherimpair the appearance. Other plates included a rearwardly extendingflange around a central hole and a setscrew was threaded laterally intothe flange in order to clamp the plate in position on a pipe. This typeof arrangement required an opening in the outer periphery of the plateso that a screwdriver could be inserted through the opening for turningthe setscrew. Such an opening impaired the appearance of the plate andinstallation of such a plate is very difficult and time consuming. Otherprior plates have included a rearwardly extending flange adjacent acentral opening with the flange having an inner circumferential groovemachined in its surface and an elastomeric ring positioned in thegroove. The elastomeric ring would then frictionally retain the plate ona pipe. Such prior devices as these have been very expensive tomanufacture. Other prior escutcheon plates have included metallic oneshaving spring fingers adjacent the central hole through which a pipe isreceived and the spring fingers would frictionally grip a pipe to holdthe plate in position.

Prior escutcheon plates have been made of metal which would eventuallycorrode from constant contact with moisture usually found in plumbinginstallations. Such corrosion severely impairs the appearance of aplumbing installation and also makes removal of such a plate extremelyditficult when repairs are necessary. For example,

"Ice

when a pipe must be replaced it would often be found that the escutcheonplate was welded by corrosion to the pipe on which it was positioned.

It would be desirable to have an escutcheon plate made of a materialwhich would not corrode after a long period of use. At the same time, itwould be desirable to have such a plate which was arranged to securelyhold itself in place by a friction grip on a pipe and would not easilycome loose. It would also be desirable to have such an escutcheon platewhich was ready for application around a pipe immediately after itsinitial formation without requiring additional manufacturing steps suchas machining grooves or threads, or slitting and deforming.

SUMMARY In accordance with the present invention, an escutcheon plate ismolded in one-piece of synthetic plastic material which is not subjectto corrosion of deterioration after long installation. The plate of thepersent invention is molded in such a manner that it is ready for useimmediately after removal from a mold and no machining or formingoperations need be performed.

More specifically, the plate of the present invention comprises a bodymember having an outer periphery and a circular inner periphery defininga central hole axially through the body. The body has front and rearsurfaces defined by a wall extending between the outer and innerperipheries. The outer periphery of the body is displaced rearwardlyfrom the hole a predetermined distance. A plurality of resilient fingersproject rearwardly from the rear surface and adjacent the hole. Thefingers have terminal ends spaced rearwardly of the hole a distance notgreater than the rearward spacing of the outer periphery from the hole.In addition, the terminal ends of the fingers lie in a plane which issubstantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body member.The fingers have outer surfaces which intersect this plane and define aplane disc. The outer surfaces of the fingers intersect this plane discat an angle not less than The fingers also have first and second innersurfaces. The first surfaces extend rearwardly of the body adjacent thehole and also intersect the plane disc at angles not less than 90. Thesecond inner surfaces of the fingers intersect the plane disc at anglessubstantially less than 90 to provide a cam surface for easyinstallation of the plate over a pipe. The first and second innersurfaces of the fingers intersect at positions which define grippingsurfaces. The gripping surfaces lie on the periphery of a cylinder whichhas a diameter less than the diameter of the hole through the bodymember. In this manner, a pipe having an exterior diameter only slightlyless than the hole through the body member will be tightly gripped bythe gripping portions of the resilient fingers.

In a preferred arrangement, the second inner surfaces of the fingersintersect the plane disc at angles not less than 45 so that the cammingaction is primarily outward when installing the plate over a pipe. Inone arrangement, the fingers extend rearwardly substantially the samedistance as the outer periphery of the body member to provide supportfor the body member when it is lying on a floor so that it will not bebroken if stepped on.

In a preferred arrangement, the fingers are a predetermined lengthhaving a midpoint. The gripping portions of the fingers are spacedrearwardly from the midpoint so that the bending action of the fingersis optimized. Also in accordance with the preferred arrangement, thegripping portions of the fingers are arcuate so as to grip largeperipheral portions of a pipe rather than gripping at many points. Inaddition, the arcuate shape of the fingers increases their bendingresistance so that a strong gripping force is provided even though athin wall section is used for the fingers.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide anescutcheon plate which is very economical to manufacture and very simpleto install.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide such anescutcheon plate which is molded in onepiece of synthetic plasticmaterial.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such anescutcheon plate with resilient fingers which frictionally grip a pipeon which the plate is installed.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide such anescutcheon plate with gripping fingers which per mit some angularadjustment of the plate on a pipe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of aplumbing installation having the escutcheon plate of the presentinvention incorporated therein;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational View of the escutcheon plate of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view thereof looking in the direction of arrows 3-3of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a rear plan view thereof looking in the direction of arrows 44of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional elevational view taken on line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is the same view as FIG. 5 and including a pipe extending throughthe central hole in the escutcheon plate of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatical illustration showing the angular relationshipof the outer surfaces of the resilient fingers on the escutcheon plateof the present invention with respect to a defined plane;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatical illustration of the angular relationship offirst inner surfaces on the resilient fingers of the escutcheon plate ofthe present invention with relation to a predefined plane;

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatical illustration showing the angular relationshipof second inner surfaces on the resilient fingers of the escutcheonplate of the present invention with respect to a predefined plane;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the escutcheon plate of the present inventioninstalled over a rod having a square cross-sectional shape;

FIG. 11 is a plan view similar to FIG. 10 with a rod having a hexagonalcross-sectional shape;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a modified escutcheon plate;

FIG. 13 is a side, elevational cross-sectional view taken on line 1313of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a rear elevational view looking in the direction of arrows1414 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a side, elevational cross-sectional view of the escutcheonplate of FIGS. 12-14 in installed postion; and

FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic illustration of angular relations of surfaceson the plate of FIGS. 12-14 relative to a reference plane.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings,wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating the preferredembodiment of the invention only and not for purposes of limiting same,FIG. 1 shows a wash basin A attached to a wall B. Wash basin A may havea faucet and spigot assembly C suitably connected to water supply linesin a conventional manner. A drain pipe D provides commuication between asuitable outlet in wash basin A and a drain pipe D leading to a wastedisposal system. Drain pipe D extends through a suitable hole 12 in wallB for connection at a connector 14 to drain pipe D. Hole 12 in wall B iscovered 'by a decorative escutcheon plate G received over drain pipe D.

Escutcheon plate G is molded in one-piece of synthetic plastic materialsuch as acrylonitrilebutadienestyrene al- 4 though it will beappreciated that other types of thermoplastic material or even thermosetting material may be used.

Escutcheon plate G has an outer periphery 16 and an inner peripherydefined by a centrally located circular hole 18. A wall 20 having asubstantially uniform mate rial thickness of around 0.08" extendsbetween outer periphery 16 and hole 18. Wall 20 defines front and rearsurfaces of escutcheon plate G and these include first and second frontsurfaces 22 and 24, and first and second rear surfaces 26 and 28. In thepreferred arrangement, surfaces 22 and 26 and surfaces 24 and 28, areparallel to one another. As will be apparent, first front surface 22intersects hole 18 at an inner peripheral edge and first front surface22 slopes rearwardly from this edge at an angle 30 of around 6. Secondfront surface 24 then slopes outwardly and rearwardly from first frontsurface 22 at an angle 32 of around 74 and intersects outer periphery 16at an angle 34 of around 100".

In a preferred arrangement, front surfaces 22 and 24 are flat. That is,first front surface 22 is generated by a straight line rotating aboutthe longitudinal axis of escutcheon plate G and sloping to the left inFIG. 5 at an angle of around 6. Second front surface 24 is generated bya straight line rotating about the longitudinal axis of escutcheon plateG and sloping to the left from the longitudinal axis in FIG. 5 at anangle of around As will be apparent, first and second front surfaces 22and 24 intersect at an intersecting periphery 36. In one arrangement,the entire width of escutcheon plate G, as measured from outer periphery16 to the entrance of hole 18 in first front surface 22, may be around0.535". The distance from outer periphery 1-6 to intersecting periphery36 is around 0.395", and the distance from the entrance of hole 18 infront surface 22 to intersecting periphery 36 is around 0.14. It will beunderstood that the dimensions and the size of hole 18 may vary and onlyone example of a certain arrangement for certain pipe sizes will beexplained. In one arrangement, hole 18 has a diameter of 1.140" for usewith pipe having an external diameter of 1.125".

Projecting rearwardly from first rear surface 26 of escutcheon plate Gare a plurality of resilient fingers lI-I. Each finger H includes anouter surface 40 and first and second inner surfaces 42 and 44. In apreferred arrangement, first inner surfaces 42 of fingers H are simplycontinuations of the peripheral surface of hole 18 although they mayslope inwardly toward the longitudinal axis of escutcheon plate G at adraft angle of around 3. As shown in FIG. 5, fingers H terminate interminal ends 46. In one arrangement, fingers H may have a length asmeasured from first rear surface 26 to terminal ends 46 of around0.455". This places the longitudinal midpoint of fingers H at around0.227".

As shown in FIG. 5, second inner surfaces 44 of fingers H slope inwardlytoward the longitudinal axis of escutcheon plate G from terminal ends46. First and second inner surfaces 42 and 44 then intersect to define agripping portion 50. Gripping portions 50 lie on the circumference of acircle having a diameter of around 1.100. Fingers [H may have across-sectional width thickness of around 0.06". Second inner surfaces44 intersect terminal ends 46 of fingers H at the circumference of acircle having a diameter of around 1.135". Gripping portions 50 arepositioned around 0.185" from end portions 46 so as to be displacedrearwardly of the midpoint of fingers H which is 0.22 from terminal ends46.

In the preferred arrangement, inner surfaces 42 and 44 of fingers Hintersect at a substantially sharp peak having substantially nolongitudinal width. This allows some angular adjustment of plate G on apipe. This is very useful in situations where a pipe extends through awall at a slight deviation from being exactly perpendicular to the wall.As shown in FIG. 6, a pipe 56 having an outside diameter of 1.125 has aclearance of 0.015" in hole 18. However, pipe 56 is tightly gripped bygripping portions 50 while he on the circumference of a circle having adiameter of only 1.100". With this arrangement, plate G may be tilted sothat outer periphery 16 does not exactly lie in a plane which is exactlyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of pipe 56. It will be recognizedthat if gripping portions 50 had a substantial longitudinal dimension itwould not be possible to tilt plate G relative to pipe 56 and maintainitself in the tilted position. The amount of tilting provided for willdepend, of course, upon the diameter of hole 18 as well as the diameterof the circle on which gripping portions 50- lie. In a preferredarrangement as described, it is possible to have a plate G retain itselfin a tilted position on pipe 56 of up to around 6.

In one arrangement, terminal ends 46 of fingers H may lie substantiallyin the same plane as outer periphery 16. With this arrangement, if aplate G is lying on a floor and is stepped upon, fingers H provide addedsupport to prevent breakage of wall 20.

The surfaces of fingers H have preferred relationships to one another aswill be described in diagrammatic views of FIGS. 79. As shown in FIG. 7,a plane I defines the plane in which terminal ends 46 of fingers H lie.Outer surfaces 40 of fingers H intersect plane I at points 60 and 62 todefine a plane disc K within the periphery of these intersection points.Plane disc K is coincidental with longitudinal axis L of escutcheonplate G. In the preferred arrangement, outer surfaces 40 intersect planedisc K at angles 64 of not less than 90. Preferably, angles 64 will beat least around 93.

As shown in FIG. 8, imaginary extensions of first inner surfaces 42 offingers H intersect plane disc K at angles 66 of not less than 90.Preferably, angles 66 are at least around 93. As shown in FIG. 9, secondinner surfaces 44 of fingers H intersect plane disc K at angles 68 ofsubstantially less than 90. It will be understood that the steeper theslope of second inner surfaces 44, the easier it is to apply escutcheonplate G over the end of a pipe. In a preferred arrangement, angles 68may be around 84 and are preferably always substantially greater than 45so that the main force component caused by the edge of a pipe cammingagainst surfaces 44 is acting outwardly.

Application of escutcheon plate G to a pipe may be described withreference to FIG. 6. Escutcheon plate G is held in a persons hand withouter periphery 16 and terminal ends 46 facing end 70 of pipe 56.Escutcheon plate G is then moved axially of pipe 56 to the left in FIG.6 until end 70 strikes against second inner surfaces 44 of fingers H.Applying an axial force to the left in FIG. 6 on plate G then causes anoutwardly reacting force on end 70 against sloping second inner surfaces44 which bends fingers H outwardly to expand the diameter of the circleon which gripping portions 50 lie so that escutcheon plate G can he slidaxially along pipe 56 to a position such as shown in FIG. 6. In thisposition, pipe 56 will be tightly gripped by gripping portions 50 offingers H.

It will be understood that any number of fingers H may be provided, butin a preferred arrangement, the fingers have an arcuate cross-sectionand are five in number. By providing fingers H with a substantialarcuate dimension, it is possible to reduce the material thickness usedfor fingers H because the arcuate shape greatly increases the stiffnessof the fingers. In addition, the substantial arcuate width of fingers Hand gripping portions 50 securely grip around substantially the entireperiphery of a pipe on which plate G is positioned. In the preferredarrangement, there are five fingers each of which extends over an arc ofaround 66 so that the spacing between adjacent fingers is around 6. Bygreatly increasing the number of fingers, such as by making over twentyfingers, they would have very little arcuate width and could be easilybent backwardly so that the gripping force they provide on a pipe wouldbe greatly reduced over the gripping force provided with a small numberof fingers.

It will be appreciated that by providing a second outer surface 24 onplate G of substantial length the strength of wall 20 is greatlyimproved while minimizing the material thickness. That is, if firstfront surface 22 curved smoothly all the way to outer periphery 16 itwould be much easier to break wall 20. It will be understood that theangular relationships of the surfaces of fingers H is not only toprovide draft clearance for removal from a mold but also to enhance thestrength and performance of escutcheon plate G while minimizing theamount of material used. It will be recognized that fingers H extendrearwardly from first rear surface 26 of plate G adjacent hole 18 insuch a manner that first inner surfaces 42 of fingers H aresubstantially flush with the peripheral surface of hole 18 and there areno cracks in plate G at the exterior of hole 18 as there is "when ametal plate is provided with slit and deformed fingers. In addition, itwill be appreciated that plate G may be painted or provided with anelectro-deposited coating of a metal such as chromium to provide adecorative appearance. An electrodeposited metal coating makes plate Glook like a metal plate while retaining corrosion resistance and ease ofmanufacture.

In some installations, metal legs are provided for supporting a lavatoryor vanity. Such supporting legs commonly have escutcheon plates appliedover them at the floor to hide any screws or imperfections resultingfrom securement of the legs to the floor. Such supporting legs normallyhave a cross-sectional shape which is either circular, square orhexagonal. The finger dimensions and relationships previously describedare especially important for securely gripping legs having suchcross-sectional shapes. As shown in FIG. 10, a leg having a squarecross-sectional shape has its corners lying on the periphery of a circlewhich is only slightly smaller in diameter than hole 18. With thefingers arrangement described, only one corner of leg 80 may be receivedin a space between adjacent fingers as shown in FIG. 10. Therefore, thefingers will still tightly grip the corner edges of leg 86.

FIG. 11 shows a leg 82 having a hexagonal cross-sectional shape. Thecorners of hexagonal leg 82 lie on the periphery of a circle having adiameter slightly smaller than the diameter of hole 18. With thearrangement of fingers described, only one corner of hexagonal leg 82may be positioned in a space between adjacent fingers as shown in FIG.11. Therefore, the other corners of hexagonal leg 82 are still tightlygripped by the fingers. Due to the substantially line contact betweengripping portions 50 of fingers H and the corners of square leg 80 orhexagonal leg 82, slight tilting of plate G is still permitted toprovide a good fit where a leg is not exactly perpendicular to a floorin the manner described !With reference to FIG. 6.

FIG. 12 shows a modified form of escutcheon plate M having a smooth andunbroken front surface 84. Front surface 84 may be curbed outwardly asshown in FIG. 13. Plate M includes a rear surface 86 and a circularperipheral portion 88. Plate M is molded in one-piece of syntheticplastic material as described with reference to escutcheon plate G ofFIGS. 19. A plurality of fingers N are formed integrally with plate Mand project rearwardly from rear surface 86 at positions spaced inwardlyfrom peripheral portion 88. Fingers N include interior surfaces 90extending substantially perpendicular to rear surface 86. Fingers N haveouter surfaces defined by the first and second surfaces 92 and 94respectively. Fingers N also terminate in terminal ends 96. First andsecond outer surfaces 92 and 94 intersect at a gripping portion 98 whichprojects radially outward from fingers N. Gripping portion 98 issubstantially a sharp peak having substantially no :width axially offingers N. In this manner, plate M may be tiltably adjusted when fixedin position in the same manner as described with reference to FIG. 6.Fingers N are arcuate in cross-section as shown in FIG. 14 so thatsurfaces 90, 92, 94 and gripping portions 98 define arcuate segments ofcircles. In one arrangement, plate M may include a central body portiondefined within the periphery of fingers N which is not as thick asperipheral portion 88. A predetermined thickness of the central bodyportion may be adequate to provide sufiicient strength for plate -M.However, in some situations, plate M may be pried loose from itsinstalled position by wedging a screw driver or other sharp tool behindperipheral portion 88 and prying plate M loose from its mountingposition. Therefore, peripheral portion 88 may be made thicker than thecentral body portion so that peripheral portion 88 will not break andplate M may be reused :when it is pried from a mounting position.

FIG. 15 shows a wall P having a hole 102 through which pipe R extends.As originally installed, pipe R may have extended to a lavatory in themanner described with reference to FIG. 1. Hole 102 in wall P would thenbe covered by a plate as described with reference to FIGS. 1-9. Inremodeling or the like, pipe R may have been taken out of use and alavatory installed at a different location. Pipe R is then cut off at apoint spaced slightly outwardly from wall P. Instead of going to thetrouble of filling in the opening, plate M may be installed to provide adecorative covering which hides hole 102. in wall P. The internaldiameter of pipe R is slightly smaller than the diameter of grippingportions 98 on fingers N. Second surfaces 94 of fingers N slope so as toprovide a camming action when forcing fingers .N inside of pipe R. Thiscauses fingers N to flex inwardly until end 104 of pipe R strikes rearsurface 86 of plate M or until the rear surface adjacent peripheralportion 88 strikes against the surface of wall P. Resilient fingers Nprovide a strong gripping force against the internal periphery of pipe Rto securely hold plate M in position. The substantial line contactbetween gripping portions 98 of fingers N and the internal surface ofpipe R allow some angular adjustment of plate M relative to pipe "R sothat peripheral portion 88 will engage the surface of wall -P eventhough pipe R is not exactly perpendicular to wall P.

In the arrangement of FIGS. 1-2-14, it will be noted that second outersloping surfaces 94 are curved. It will be understood that thesesurfaces could be plane in the same manner as surfaces 44 of plate G andit will also be recognized that surfaces 44 of plate G could be curvedin the manner of surfaces 94. Plate M may be chrome plated to provide ahighly decorative surface. It will be recognized that the diameter ofperipheral portion 88 may be as large as desired. In addition, fingers Nmay be spaced inwardly of peripheral portion 88 any desired distance.

FIG. 16 shows the relationship of the surfaces of fingers N to areference plane. In FIG. 16, S represents the longitudonal central axisof plate M. Terminal ends 96 of fingers N lie in a plane P which issubstantially perpendicular to axis S. Terminal ends 96 intersect planeT as at points 112 and 1-14 around the periphery of a circle to define aplane disc W. The major portion of curved second surfaces 94 extendingfrom gripping portions 98 toward plane T makes an angle 116 with planedisc W which is greater than 90 and less than 135. With thisarrangement, a good camming action is provided to deform fingers Nradially inward when installing plate M within a hole or other opening.In the preferred arrangement, inner surfaces 90 and first outer surfaces92 of fingers N extend substantially perpendicular to plane T. In thearrangement shown, ten fingers N are provided and fingers N have anarcuate width which is greater than the spacing between adjacentfingers. In a preferred arrangement, it has been found that an arcuatewidth for fingers ,N of around two times the width of the space betweenadjacent fingers provides most desirable resiliency and gripping actionfor fingers N.

Instead of installing plate M within a pipe as shown with reference toFIG. 15, it will be recognized that plate M may be installed directly inhole 102 in wall P and may be installed in other types of openings aswell. With these arrangements, a number of different size plates M maybe provided wherein fingers N lie on the periphery of different diametercircles so that the correct plate may be chosen to accurately andtightly fit within hole 102.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferredembodiment, it is obvious that modifications and alterations will occurto others upon the reading and understanding of this specification.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An escutcheon plate molded in one-piece of synthetic plastic materialcomprising:

(a) a body member having an outer periphery and a circular innerperiphery, said inner periphery defining a centrally locatedsubstantially circular hole axially through said body member,

(b) said body member having a wall defined between said outer and innerperipheries,

(c) said wall having a front surface and a rear surface, said frontsurface of said wall intersecting said inner periphery at a peripheraledge, said outer periphery being positioned rearwardly of saidperipheral edge a predetermined distance,

((1) said body member having a plurality of resilient fingers projectingrearwardly from said rear surface adjacent said peripheral edge,

(e) said fingers having terminal ends spaced rearwardly of saidperipheral edge not greater than said predetermined distance and lyingin a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of saidhole,

(f) said fingers having outer surfaces and inner surfaces,

(g) said outer surfaces having terminal edges lying on the periphery ofa cylinder intersecting said plane and defining a plane disc having itscenter coincidental with the longitudinal axis of said hole,

(h) said outer surfaces intersecting said plane disc at an angle notless than ninety degrees,

(i) said fingers having first and second inner surfaces,

(j) said first surfaces extending from said peripheral edge rearwardlyof said rear surface,

(k) imaginary extensions of said first surfaces intersecting said planedisc at not less than ninety degrees,

(1) said second inner surfaces intersecting said plane disc at anglessubstantially less than ninety degrees,

(111) said first and second inner surfaces intersecting at positionsdefining gripping surfaces of said fingers,

(n) and said gripping surfaces lying on the periphery of a cylinderhaving a diameter less than the diameter of said hole.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said second inner surfaces of saidfingers intersect said plane disc at angles not less than forty-fivedegrees.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said fingers have an axial fingerlength from said rear surface to said terminal ends, said finger lengthhaving a midpoint, said gripping portions of said fingers beingpositioned rearwardly of said midpoint.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said outer periphery and said terminalends of said fingers lie in substantially the same plane.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said gripping portions of said fingersare curved and define arcuate segments of the circumference of a circleconcentric with and smaller than said hole, said gripping portions beingsubstantially sharp peaks projecting radially inward from said fingersand having substantially no axial fiat surfaces axially of said bodymember.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said front surface of said body memberincludes first and second front surfaces, said first front surfaceextending outwardly from said inner periphery of said body member andintersecting said second front surface at an intersecting periphery,said second front surface extending rearwardly from said intersectingperiphery to said outer periphery of said body member, said first frontsurface intersecting said inner 5 periphery being greater than thedistance axially of said 10 body member from said inner peripheral edgeto said intersecting periphery.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein there are five fingers, said fingersbeing equi-distantly spaced around said hole,

each of said fingers being arcuate in cross-section and ex- 15 tendingover at least sixty degrees.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1944 OShaughnessy et al. 16-24/1952 Erb et a1. 16-2 10/1966 Noland 285-46 11/1967 Wilhelmi 16-2 2/1969 Politz 285-46 FOREIGN PATENTS 6/1938 France 16-2 DAVE W. AROLA,Primary Examiner

